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Roman Colisseum
Inside the Colossem The Roman Emperor Vespasian had this great idea to build this arena. The construction started in c70AD. The Roman Colosseum was opened in 80AD and was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. The architects who made this were very smart because the layout of the building is so intricate, detailed and planned very carefully. This building was created for the punishment of slaves, prisoners and criminals and entertainment for the public. The Romans were very cruel and unusual. Our entertainment is simply going to the movies and the Romans amusement was going to these games that could last for 100 days. Underneath the Colosseum, aqua ducts were built and they would flood the building for sea battles. About 2/3 of the actual Colosseum have been destroyed from fires and earthquakes. There was an earthquake in 847 which caused some of the building to fall. Some of these parts went to construction for other landmark buildings like St. Peter’s Basilica (which was a beautiful church we seen). During the Roman Empire 250 amphitheaters were built. Amazingly the Amphitheathrum Flavium holds up to 50,000 spectators. Thousands of people would gather here to celebrate and watch these bloody fights to the death. Thousands of animals, prisoners, and professional fighters were killed during these battles. The first Roman Gladiators were slaves and prisoners of war and used the weapons and equipment characteristic of their people. I can only imagine the chaos and volume of intensity this theater had during these events. I instantly think of the movie Gladiator but I think most people would compare this movie to the Colosseum. It is one of my favorite movies. Most of the fights fought there were graphic and unpleasant I am sure but it was the Roman life. The fights that occurred there interest me because some became heroes, and their stories led to legends.The Roman Emperors Caligula, Titus, Hadrian, Cracalla, Geta and Didius Julianus were all said to have performed in the arena.Many famous gladiators were emperors. The most famous of all the Gladiators was Spartacus. Spartacus was born a free man in c. 109 B.C. he joined the army and escaped. Consequently, he was captured and was sold as slave to become a Thracian gladiator (they carried a round shield and a short sword). While training at the Gladiatorial school he and other gladiators had an escape plan which did not go as planned. About 70 men escaped from this school and fought off a small army that chased after them. Once free Spartacus and two others became leaders and fled to Mount Vesuvius where they made camp. He was a very famous Gladiator and once the other slaves knew of his escape they escaped to join Spartacus. Spartacus’s army grew from 70 men to over 100,000 men. His army had plentiful of food and had the Gladiators train the slaves to fight. While his army was growing Rome sent an army of 3,000 to capture Spartacus and the slaves. Spartacus’s army defeated this army and Rome’s next army of 6,000. The Romans Empire grew mad and wanted this revolt to come to an end. Spartacus died during the final battle in Senerchia in 71 B.C. His body was never found. Gladiators were trained to kill. There were many types of gladiators and each had its own unique armor and weaponry. They were based on mythological figures of ancient enemies of Rome. The Retiarius Gladiator is a lightweight and uses a net, a three pointed trident, and a dagger as his weapons. This Gladiator has light padding and wears no footwear or helmet. They used a shield and their armor was a shin guard and an armguard. The Secutor Gladiator (chaser) is heavily armed and carried a large oval or rectangular shield. Their helmets have only two small holes for the eyes and can weigh up to ten pounds so breathing can be a problem. Their armor consisted of a shin guard and armguard and their weaponry included a dagger or sword. These two Gladiators were common to fight each other. The Retiarius uses his speed and agility to try to keep his distance so he could swing his net at his opponent but mostly relied on his trident and dagger to finish the fight. The Secutor has to act and kill his opponent quickly because his lack of being able to breathe from his helmet can lead to fainting and the weight of his armor can cause him to fall from exhaustion. Gladiatrix was the female version of the male gladiator. There were even few female gladiators that fought in the arenas but were not allowed to fight with other men. There was a law that banned women under the age of twenty from entering the arena. Some women were trained to a certain degree. Some advanced into professional fighting almost equivalent to male gladiators. Although rare, archeologists have found a relief of two Gladiatrices fighting in armor with their shields and swords at hand at the site of Halicarnassus. This piece of art is now displayed in the British Museum. Many wild animals were killed during Gladiator battles. Surprisingly, they had circus animals used as entertainment before a fight and were unharmed. On the other hand, most were killed during this 100 day event leaving about 9,000 wild animals dead. Ostriches’ and zebras were simply used for pulling chariots and were most likely killed in battle. Many emperors and men would show off their hunting skills by safely participating in the arena by hunting wild animals. The types of animals used for these hunting shows were wild boar, bulls, bears deer, dogs, wolves, goats and antelopes. Archers would slaughter herds of animals that were let loose in the arena. Elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus’ and other animals were traded from Egypt, Africa and Asia to be killed in the Colosseum or other ampitheaters. There were Gladiators that specifically fought wild animals and were called Bestiarii. These gladiators used a spear or knife as their weapon. Many of these animals were lions, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and rhinoceros’. There were so many wild animals that were slaughtered in the Colosseum and other arenas that some animals were almost to the point of being extinct. . Section heading Write the second section o f your page here.